Posts Tagged black-tar heroin abuse

When the High Intensity Drug Task Force in Charlotte met last year, the discussion was mainly on black-tar heroin which has made its way to the market and has become the fastest-growing drug problem in the area.

It may not be known to many but black-tar heroin has been in demand for the last five years, which was also the time when prescription drug abuse surged and became the most alarming type of drug abuse not only in Charlotte but in the whole nation as well.

According to US Drug Enforcement Administration group supervisor and team leader for the High Intensity Drug Task Force Jeffrey W. Ferris, young people from middle to high income families comprise the market of black-tar heroin.

The Charlotte area has become the place to be when looking for heroin. Every day, people drive into the region to get their supply of the illicit drug to distribute among buyers within a week.

Ferris admits that the task in catching drug dealers and consumers of black-tar heroin is not easy. This is why they are enlisting the aid of school authorities, civic groups and other concerned volunteers in the proper information dissemination and education of parents, young adults, and kids on the said drug. “We want to use awareness and education in an attempt to dry up demand. We want to talk to Parent-Teacher Associations, faculties, as well as students.”

Black-tar heroin is sourced from crudely refining poppy plants in Latin America particularly in Mexico. Manufacturers use plastic grocery bags cut in squares and tied like balloons to package the drugs. These packages cost from $10 to $12 a piece and are color coded with white and yellow pertaining to cocaine and red for heroin.

It has become an alternative to pricey prescription drugs that could fetch up to $80 dollars a pill. This is why its demand is on the rise among teens and young adults.

Black-tar heroin, like any other type of opiates, is highly addictive physically and psychologically and getting out of an addiction may prove to be a challenge for any individual.